CN117010535A

CN117010535A - System and method for travel planning requiring at least one transport vehicle unit

Info

Publication number: CN117010535A
Application number: CN202310519766.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 理查德·T·洛德; 罗伯特·W·洛德; 内森·P·米佛德; 克拉伦斯·T·特格林
Original assignee: Uber Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Uber Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2014-05-06
Filing date: 2015-05-06
Publication date: 2023-11-07
Also published as: EP3167426A4; WO2015171762A1; EP3167426A1; EP3167414A1; KR102466144B1; KR20220153692A; CN106537444A8; US12001975B2; EP3167414A4; EP3140803A4; WO2015171776A1; EP3140803A1; EP3167426B1; CN106537444A; WO2015171772A1; US20230044882A1; KR102596101B1; KR20170017906A

Abstract

A computationally implemented method and system designed to receive a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location; providing a travel plan for the one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location to transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Description

System and method for travel planning requiring at least one transport vehicle unit

The present application is a divisional application of the application patent application with application number 201580037021.3, application date 2015, 5, 6, and the application name "system and method for requesting travel plan of at least one transportation vehicle unit".

All subject matter of the priority application and related applications, as well as all subject matter of any and all parent, ancestor, zeabout, etc. of the priority application and related applications, including any priority claims, are incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter does not conflict with the present disclosure.

Disclosure of Invention

In one or more different aspects, a method includes, but is not limited to: receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, providing a travel plan to facilitate travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location to transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In various implementations, at least one of the facilitating or directing is performed by a machine or an article of manufacture. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth herein.

In one or more different aspects, one or more related systems may be implemented in machine, composition of matter, or system manufacturing, limited to patentable subject matter according to 35 U.S. C.101. The one or more related systems may include, but are not limited to, circuitry and/or programming for implementing the method aspects referenced herein. The circuitry and/or programming may be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects depending upon the design choices of the system designer and limited to the patentable subject matter according to 35 USC 101.

In one or more different aspects, a system includes, but is not limited to: means for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, means for providing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from a starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and means for guiding the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location for transporting the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth herein.

In one or more different aspects, a system includes, but is not limited to: circuitry for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, circuitry for providing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from a starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and circuitry for directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location for transporting the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth herein.

In one or more different aspects, a computer program product includes a signal bearing a non-transitory storage medium bearing one or more instructions including, but not limited to: receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location; providing a travel plan for the one or more end users to travel from a starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location to transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other computer program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth herein.

In one or more different aspects, a system includes, but is not limited to: a travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and a transport vehicle unit guidance module configured to guide the at least one transport vehicle unit to a convergence location to converge with the one or more end users for transporting the one or more end users on the transport route leg.

In addition to the foregoing, various other method and/or system and/or program product aspects are set forth and described in the teachings (e.g., the text (e.g., the claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure).

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by way of example, simplifications, generalizations, additions and/or omissions of detail; accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, features and advantages of the devices and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will become apparent by reference to the detailed description, the corresponding figures and/or the teachings set forth herein.

Drawings

For a more complete understanding of the embodiments, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The use of the same symbols in different drawings generally indicates similar or identical items unless the context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein.

Fig. 1 shows a travel planning network system 10 operating in an exemplary environment.

Fig. 2A shows a high-level block diagram of a particular implementation of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 1.

Fig. 2B shows another high-level block diagram of another implementation of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 1.

Fig. 3A illustrates another perspective view of the request receiving module 202 of fig. 2A and 2B (e.g., the request receiving module 202' of fig. 2A or the request receiving module 202″ of fig. 2B), in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 3B illustrates another perspective view of the travel plan generation module 204 of fig. 2A and 2B (e.g., the travel plan generation module 204' of fig. 2A or the travel plan generation module 204 "of fig. 2B), in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 3C illustrates another perspective view of the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 of fig. 2A and 2B (e.g., transport vehicle unit guidance module 206' of fig. 2A or transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 "of fig. 2B) in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 4A illustrates content of an exemplary travel plan, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4B illustrates content of another exemplary travel plan, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4C shows an exemplary illustration of a planned travel route for route leg 1 of fig. 4B.

Fig. 4D shows an exemplary illustration of a planned travel route for route leg 2 of fig. 4B.

Fig. 4E shows an exemplary illustration of a planned travel route for route leg 3 of fig. 4B.

Fig. 4F illustrates content of yet another exemplary travel plan, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 4G illustrates content of yet another exemplary travel plan, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5 is a high-level logic flow diagram of a process (e.g., operational flow 500) according to some embodiments.

Fig. 6A is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the request receipt operation 502 of fig. 5.

Fig. 6B is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the request receipt operation 502 of fig. 5.

Fig. 6C is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the request receiving operation 502 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7A is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7B is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7C is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7D is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7E is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7F is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7G is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7H is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7I is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the travel plan provisioning operation 504 of fig. 5.

Fig. 8A is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 of fig. 5.

Fig. 8B is a high-level logic flowchart depicting a procedure of an alternative implementation of the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 of fig. 5.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally identify similar or identical components or items, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein.

Thus, according to various embodiments, a computing-implemented method, system, circuit, article, ordered chain of matter, and computer program product are designed to provide one or more wearable computing devices, particularly for the environment shown in fig. 1.

The claims, specification, and drawings of the present application may describe one or more instant technologies in an operational/functional language, for example, as a set of operations to be performed by a computer. In most cases, such an operation/function description will be understood by those skilled in the art as specifically configured hardware (e.g., because a general purpose computer actually becomes a special purpose computer once programmed to perform a specific function according to instructions from program software).

Importantly, although the operational/functional descriptions described herein are human-thought understandable, they are not abstractions of the operations/functions that are separate from the computing implementations of those operations/functions. Rather, the operations/functions represent specifications for large-scale complex computers or other devices. As discussed in detail below, the operation/function language must be read in its correct technical context, i.e. as a specific specification of the physical implementation.

The logical operations/functions described herein are refinements (dis-tillations) of machine specifications or other physical mechanisms specified by the operations/functions so that otherwise unpredictable machine specifications are understandable to human ideas. The refinement also allows one skilled in the art to adjust the operation/function description of the technology on many different vendor-specific hardware configurations or platforms, and is not limited to a particular vendor-specific hardware configuration or platform.

Some of the present specification (e.g., detailed description, figures, claims, etc.) may be set forth in terms of logical operations/functions. As described in more detail in the following paragraphs, these logical operations/functions are not representations of abstract concepts, but rather represent static or sequential specifications of the various hardware elements. In other words, unless the context dictates otherwise, those skilled in the art will understand that logical operations/functions represent static or sequential specifications of the various hardware elements. This is true because one skilled in the art can implement the disclosed tools in the art, either in the form of high-level programming languages (e.g., C, java, visual basic, etc.), or in the form of very high-speed hardware description language ("VHDL", a language that uses text to describe logic circuits), as described in operational/functional formats, as static or sequential specification generators of various hardware configurations. This fact is sometimes masked by the broad term "software", but as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the term "software" is simply a large scale complex interlink/specification of ordered matter elements. The term "ordered material elements" may refer to physical computing components, such as components of electronic logic gates, molecular computing logic components, quantum computing mechanisms, and so forth.

For example, a high-level programming language is a programming language that has a strong abstraction (e.g., multi-level abstraction) of the specifics of the sequential organization, states, inputs, outputs, etc. of the machine that the high-level programming language actually specifies. See, e.g., wikipedia, high-level programming language, http:// en.wikipedia. Org/wiki/High-level_programming_language (5 th 6/2012, greenwich standard time 21:00). To facilitate understanding, in many cases, high-level programming languages resemble natural language or even share symbols. See, for example, wikipedia, natural language, http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language (5 th of 2012, greenwich mean time 21:00).

It is believed that because high-level programming languages use strong abstractions (e.g., they may resemble natural language or share symbols), they are "purely psychological constructs" (e.g., "software" -computer programs or computer programming-a self-evident psychological construct, as it can be conceived and understood in human mind under high-level abstraction). This demonstration has been used to characterize technical specifications in terms of functions/operations as some "abstract concept". In fact, this is not true in the technical field (e.g., information and communication technology).

The fact that high-level programming languages use strong abstractions to facilitate human understanding should not be viewed as representing what is expressed as an abstract concept. In fact, the person skilled in the art understands that the fact is precisely the opposite. If a high-level programming language is the tool used to implement the technical disclosure in a functional/operational form, those skilled in the art will recognize that, in any significant semantic sense, such a tool is rather far from abstract, imprecise, "ambiguous" or "mental," rather the near-unintelligible exact order specification of a particular computer-a portion of a particular computer is constructed by activating/selecting such a portion from a generally more general computer over time (e.g., timekeeping). This fact is sometimes masked by the surface similarity between high-level programming languages and natural languages. These surface similarities may also lead to the fact that the high-level programming language implementation is masked to ultimately perform valuable work by creating/controlling many different computers.

Many different computers specified by high-level programming languages are almost inconceivable complex. The hardware used in a computer typically contains some type of ordered material (e.g., traditional external linkage devices (e.g., transistors), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics, optics (e.g., optical interference devices), molecules, etc.) that is arranged to form logic gates. Logic gates are typically physical devices that can be electrically, mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to change physical states in order to create the physical reality of boolean logic.

Logic gates may be arranged to form a logic circuit, which is typically a physically real, physical device that may be electrically, mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to create certain logic functions. Types of logic circuits include devices such as multiplexers, registers, arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs), computer memory, etc., each of which may be combined to form other types of physical devices such as Central Processing Units (CPUs) -the most notable of which is a microprocessor. Modern microprocessors typically include more than one hundred million logic gates (and often more than one billion transistors) in many of their logic circuits. See, for example, wikipedia, logic gates, http:// en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/Logic_gates (5 th of 2012, greenwich mean time 21:03).

Logic circuitry forming the microprocessor is arranged to provide a microarchitecture that will execute instructions defined by the instruction set architecture defined by the microprocessor. The instruction set architecture is part of a programming-related microprocessor architecture, including local data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external input/output. See, e.g., wikipedia, computer architecture, http:// en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/computer_architecture (5 th, 6 th, 2012, greenwich mean time 21:03).

The instruction set architecture includes specifications of machine language that can be used by a programmer to use/control the microprocessor. Since machine language instructions make them directly executable by a microprocessor, they are typically composed of binary digital strings or bits. For example, typical machine language instructions may be many bits long (e.g., 32, 64, or 128 bit strings are currently common). Typical machine language instructions may take the form of "11110000101011110000111100111111" (32-bit instructions).

It is important here that although machine language instructions are written as a sequence of binary digits, in practice these binary digits specify a physical reality. For example, if certain semiconductors are used to make the operation of boolean logic physically realistic, the apparent digital bits "1" and "0" in machine language instructions actually constitute shorthand for applying a particular voltage to a particular line. For example, in some semiconductor technologies, a binary "1" (e.g., a logic "1") in a machine language instruction specifies about +5 volts applied to a particular "line" (e.g., a metal trace on a printed circuit board), and a binary "0" (e.g., a logic "0") in a machine language instruction specifies about-5 volts applied to the particular "line". In addition to specifying the voltages of the machine configuration, such machine language instructions select outputs from and activate specific groups of logic gates from millions of logic gates of a more general machine. Thus, even though written as a string of zeros and ones, the machine language instruction program is far from an abstract mathematical expression, and the machine language instruction program specifies many, many constructs of physical machines or physical machine states.

Machine language is generally unintelligible to most people (e.g., the above example is just ONE instruction, and some personal computers execute more than 20 hundred million instructions per second). For example, see Wikipedia, instructions per second (Instructions per second), http:// en. Wikipedia. Org/wiki/instructions_per_second (5 th 6 th 2012, greenwich mean time 21:04). Thus, programs written in machine language (which may be tens of millions of machine language instructions long) are not understandable. In view of this, early assembly languages were developed that used mnemonics to refer to machine language instructions, rather than directly using the numerical values of machine language instructions (e.g., for performing multiplication operations, the programmer encoded the abbreviation "mult", which represents the binary number "0110800" in MIPS machine code). While assembly language was originally a great aid to the person controlling the microprocessor to perform work, the complexity of the work that needs to be done by a human exceeds the ability of a human to control the microprocessor using only assembly language.

At this point, it is noted that the same tasks need to be completed pass-by-pass and the machine language required to perform these repeated tasks is the same. In view of this, a compiler is created. A compiler is a device that uses statements that are easier to understand by humans than machine or assembly language, such as "add 2+2 and output results," and translates the human-understandable statements into complex, lengthy, and extremely large machine language code (e.g., millions of character strings of 32, 64, or 128 bits in length). The compiler thus translates the high-level programming language into a machine language.

As described above, this compiled machine language is then used as a specification that sequentially constructs and results in the interoperation of many different computers so that useful, tangible, and specific work is done. For example, as described above, such machine language-compiled version of high-level language-functions as a specification for selecting output hardware logic gates, specifying voltage levels, voltage transition timings, etc., so that manually useful work is done by hardware.

Thus, the functional/operational specification is far from an abstract concept as observed by those skilled in the art. Conversely, when understood by tools available in the art, such as those just described, such functional/operational specifications are instead understood to be human-understandable representations of hardware specifications, the complexity and specificity of which far exceeds the understanding of most any one. With this in mind, those skilled in the art will appreciate, given the disclosure herein and the knowledge of those skilled in the art, that any such operational/functional specification may be understood as making physically-realistic operations from (a) one or more inter-chain physical machines, (b) inter-chain logic gates configured to create one or more physical machines representing sequential/combinational logic, (c) inter-chain ordered materials (e.g., inter-chain electronics (e.g., transistors), DNA, quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics, molecules, etc.) representing the physical reality of the logic, or (d) virtually any combination of the foregoing. Indeed, any physical object having stable, measurable, and variable states may be used to construct a machine based on the above specifications. For example, charles Babbage built the first computer from wood and was powered by the activation handle.

Thus, those skilled in the art will not understand this as an abstract, but will recognize functional/operational specifications as human-understandable representations of one or more hardware instantiations that are almost imperceptibly complex and time-sequential. The fact that functional/operational specifications may be readily adapted to high-level computing languages (or high-level block diagrams for such things) that share certain words, structures, phrases, etc. in natural language cannot be simply considered to indicate that such functional/operational specifications are abstract concepts or merely represent abstract concepts. In fact, as described herein, this is not true at all in the art. Such functional/operational specifications are considered to specify hardware configurations of little to no imaginable complexity when considered by tools available to those skilled in the art.

As described above, there are at least two reasons for the description of the function/operation technique. First, the use of functional/operational specifications allows for the description of near infinite complex machines and machine operations generated by inter-chain hardware elements in a manner that human psychology can handle (e.g., by mimicking natural language and logic narrative flows). Second, the use of functional/operational specifications helps one skilled in the art to understand the described subject matter by providing a description of the hardware components that is more or less independent of any particular vendor.

The use of functional/operational specifications aids one skilled in the art in understanding the described subject matter, as apparent from the discussion above, one can readily, although not very quickly, transcribe the specifications set forth in this document into trillions of one and zero, billions of single line assembly level machine code, millions of logic gates, thousands of gate arrays, or any number of intermediate level abstractions. However, if any such low-level technical description were to replace the present technical description, those skilled in the art may encounter undue difficulty in implementing the present disclosure, as such low-level technical description would likely add complexity without a corresponding benefit (e.g., by describing the subject matter using one or more vendor-specific hardware conventions). Thus, the use of functional/operational specifications aids one skilled in the art by separating the specifications from the conventions of any vendor-specific hardware.

In view of the foregoing, the logical operations/functions set forth in the present specification represent static or sequential specifications of various ordered matter elements so that these specifications are understandable to human ideas and adaptable to create a wide variety of hardware configurations. The logical operations/functions disclosed herein should be considered to be such and should not be deleteriously characterized as an abstraction simply because the specifications they represent are presented in a manner that would be readily understood by one skilled in the art and implemented in a manner that is independent of the hardware implementation of a particular vendor.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction between hardware, software, and/or firmware implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware, software, and/or firmware is typically (but not always, as the choice between hardware and software may become important in some cases) a design choice representing a tradeoff between cost and efficiency. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are a variety of media in which the processes and/or systems and/or other techniques described herein (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware) may be implemented, and that the preferred media will vary with the environment in which the processes and/or systems and/or other techniques are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are important, the implementer may opt for primarily hardware and/or firmware media; alternatively, if flexibility is important, the implementer may opt for a primary software implementation; or, again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware in one or more machines, compositions of matter, and articles of manufacture limited to patentable subject matter according to 35 USC 101. Thus, there are several possible mediums in which the processes and/or devices and/or other techniques described herein may be implemented, none of which is inherently superior to the other, as any medium to be used is a particular concern (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) depending on the choice of environment in which the medium will be deployed and the practitioner, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the optical aspects implemented will typically employ optically oriented hardware, software, and/or firmware.

In some implementations described herein, logic and similar implementations may include software or other control structures. For example, the electronic circuit may have one or more current paths constructed and arranged to perform the various functions as described herein. In some implementations, one or more media may be configured to carry device-detectable implementations when such media holds or transmits device-detectable instructions operable to execute as described herein. In some variations, for example, an implementation may include an update or modification to existing software or firmware or an update or modification to gate arrays or programmable hardware, such as by performing the receipt or transportation of one or more instructions involving one or more operations described herein. Alternatively or in addition, in some variations, implementations may include special purpose hardware, software, firmware components, and/or general purpose components that execute or otherwise invoke the special purpose components. The specification or other implementation may be transported by one or more instances of a tangible transport medium as described herein, optionally by packet transport or otherwise by transport over a distributed medium at different times.

Alternatively or additionally, implementations may include executing one or more occurring specific sequences of instructions or calling circuitry for enabling, triggering, coordinating, requesting, or otherwise causing virtually any functional operation described herein. In some variations, the operations or other logic descriptions herein may be represented as source code and compiled or otherwise invoked as a sequence of executable instructions. In some contexts, for example, an implementation may be provided in whole or in part by source code (such as c++) or other code sequences. In other implementations, source code or other code implementations using commercially available and/or skilled in the art may be compiled/implemented/translated/converted into a high-level descriptor language (e.g., the techniques described were originally implemented in a C or C++ programming language, and thereafter the programming language implementations are converted into logic synthesizable language implementations, hardware description language implementations, hardware design simulation implementations, and/or other such similar expression patterns). For example, some or all of the logic expressions (e.g., computer programming language implementations) may be represented as Verilog-type hardware descriptions (e.g., via Hardware Description Language (HDL) and/or very high speed integrated circuit hardware descriptor language (VHDL)) or other circuit models, which may then be used to create a physical implementation with hardware (e.g., application specific integrated circuits). Those skilled in the art will recognize how to obtain, configure, and optimize suitable transport or computing elements, material supplies, actuators, or other structures in accordance with these teachings.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common in the art to implement devices and/or processes and/or systems, and thereafter use engineering and/or other practices to integrate such implemented devices and/or processes and/or systems into more comprehensive devices and/or processes and/or systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes and/or systems described herein may be integrated into other devices and/or processes and/or systems via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that examples of such other devices and/or processes and/or systems may include all or part of-devices and/or processes and/or systems suitable for context and application- (a) air vehicles (e.g., airplanes, rockets, helicopters, etc.), (b) ground vehicles (e.g., automobiles, trucks, locomotives, tanks, armored weapons, etc.), (c) buildings (e.g., homes, warehouses, offices, etc.), (d) appliances (e.g., refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, etc.), (e) communication systems (e.g., network systems, telephone systems, voice-over-IP systems, etc.), (f) business entities (e.g., internet Service Provider (ISP) entities such as Comcast Cable, qwest, southwestern Bell, etc.), or (g) wired/wireless service entities (e.g., sprint, cingular, nextel, etc.).

In some cases, the use of systems or methods may occur within the field even if the component is located outside the field. For example, in a distributed computing environment, the use of a distributed computing system may occur even though portions of the system may be located outside of the domain (e.g., relay stations, servers, processors, signal bearing media, transmitting computers, etc., receiving computers, etc., located outside of the domain).

Sales of systems or methods can occur in the field even if components of the systems or methods are located and/or used outside the field. Furthermore, the implementation of at least a part of a system for performing a method in a territory does not exclude the use of the system in another territory

In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments described herein may be implemented individually and/or collectively by various types of electromechanical systems having a wide range of electrical components (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, and/or virtually any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter according to 35 U.S. c. 101), as well as a wide range of various components that can transfer mechanical forces or movements (e.g., rigid bodies, springs or torsion bodies, hydraulic devices, electromagnetic actuation devices, and/or virtually any combination thereof). Thus, as used herein, "electromechanical systems" include, but are not limited to: circuitry operably coupled to a sensor (e.g., actuator, motor, piezoelectric crystal, microelectromechanical system (MEMS), etc.), circuitry having at least one discrete circuit, circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., in the form of a memory (e.g., random access, flash memory, read only, etc.)) by a general purpose computer configured by a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein, or by a microprocessor configured by a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein), circuitry forming a communication device (e.g., modem, communication switch, optoelectronic device, etc.), and/or any non-electrical analog thereof (e.g., optical or other analog (e.g., graphene-based circuit)). Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that examples of electromechanical systems include, but are not limited to: various consumer electronics systems, medical devices, and other systems (e.g., motorized transport systems, factory automation systems, security systems, and/or communication/computing systems). Those skilled in the art will recognize that electromechanical systems as used herein are not necessarily limited to systems having electrical and mechanical actuation unless the context dictates otherwise.

In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein, which may be implemented individually and/or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, and/or any combination thereof, may be considered to be comprised of various types of "circuits". Thus, as used herein, "circuitry" includes, but is not limited to: circuits having at least one discrete circuit, circuits having at least one integrated circuit, circuits having at least one application specific integrated circuit, circuits forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program that at least partially performs the processes and/or devices described herein), circuits forming a memory device (e.g., in the form of memory (e.g., random access, flash memory, read only, etc.)), and/or circuits forming a communication device (e.g., modem, communication switch, optoelectronic device, etc.). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in analog or digital fashion, or some combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein may be integrated into an image processing system. Those skilled in the art will recognize that typical image processing systems generally include a system unit housing, a video display device, memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory), a processor (e.g., microprocessor or digital signal processor), a computing entity (e.g., operating system, drivers, applications), one or more interactive devices (e.g., touch pad, touch screen, antenna, etc.), and/or a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing lens position and/or speed; control motors for moving/distorting the lens to give a desired focus). The image processing system may be implemented with suitable commercially available components (e.g., components typically found in digital still systems and/or digital motion systems).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein may be integrated into a data processing system. Those skilled in the art will recognize that data processing systems typically include a system unit housing, a video display device, memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory), a processor (e.g., a microprocessor or digital signal processor), computing entities (e.g., operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications), one or more interactive devices (e.g., touch pads, touch screens, antennas, etc.), and/or a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or speed; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or amounts). The data processing system can be implemented with suitable commercially available components (e.g., components typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein may be integrated into a mote (mote) system. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical mote system generally includes one or more memories (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory), processors (e.g., microprocessors or digital signal processors), computing entities (e.g., operating systems, user interfaces, drivers, sensors, actuators, applications), one or more interactive devices (e.g., antenna USB ports, acoustic ports, etc.), a control system including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing or estimating position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or amounts). The mote system may be implemented using suitable components (e.g., those found in mote computing/communication systems). Specific examples of such components require mote components such as Intel corporation and/or crosstow corporation and supporting hardware, software, and/or firmware.

For purposes of the present application, "cloud" computing may be understood as described in the cloud computing literature. For example, cloud computing may be a method and/or system for delivering computing power and/or storage capacity as a service. A "cloud" may refer to one or more hardware and/or software components that deliver or assist in delivering computing and/or storage capacity, including, but not limited to: one or more of a client, application, platform, infrastructure, and/or server. A cloud may refer to any hardware and/or software associated with a client, application, platform, infrastructure, and/or server. For example, cloud and cloud computing may refer to one or more of a computer, processor, storage medium, router, switch, modem, virtual machine (e.g., virtual server), data center, operating system, middleware, firmware, hardware backend, software backend, and/or software application. The cloud may refer to a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, and/or a community cloud. The cloud may be a shared pool of configurable computing resources, which may be public, private, semi-private, distributable, extensible, flexible, temporary, virtual, and/or physical. The cloud or cloud services may be delivered over one or more types of networks (e.g., mobile communications networks and the internet).

As used in the present application, a cloud or cloud service may include infrastructure as a service ("IaaS"), platform as a service ("PaaS"), software as a service ("SaaS"), and/or desktop as a service ("DaaS"). As non-exclusive examples, iaaS may include, for example, one or more virtual server instantiations (e.g., providing one or more processors, storage space, and/or on-demand network resources (e.g., EMC and Rackspace)) that may start, stop, access, and/or configure a virtual server and/or storage center. PaaS may include, for example, one or more software and/or development tools hosted on an infrastructure (e.g., a computing platform and/or a solution stack from which clients may create software interfaces and applications), such as Microsoft Azure. The SaaS may include software that is hosted by a service provider and accessible over a network, for example (e.g., software for an application and/or data associated with the software application may be maintained on a network, such as Google Apps, salesForce). DaaS may include, for example, providing desktops, applications, data, and/or services to users over a network (e.g., providing a multi-application framework, applications in a framework, data associated with applications, and/or services related to applications and/or data on a network, such as Citrix). The foregoing is intended to be an example of the types of systems and/or methods referred to herein as "cloud" or "cloud computing" and should not be considered as complete or exhaustive.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and discussions that accompany them are used as examples and that various configuration modifications are contemplated for the sake of conceptual clarity. Accordingly, as used herein, the specific examples set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to represent more general categories thereof. In general, the use of any particular example is intended to be representative of its class, and does not include specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as limiting.

The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components contained within or connected with different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Thus, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably coupled include, but are not limited to, physically mateable and/or physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically interacting components and/or logically interactable components.

To the extent that formal outline headings exist in the present application, it should be understood that outline headings are used for presentation purposes, and that different types of topics may be discussed throughout the application (e.g., devices/structures may be described under process/operation headings, and/or processes/operations may be discussed under structure/process headings, and/or descriptions of a single topic may span two or more topic headings). Thus, any use of the formal outline headings in this application is for presentation purposes and is not intended to be limiting in any way.

Examples and lists are given throughout this disclosure using brackets, the abbreviation "e.g." or both. These examples and lists are merely exemplary and are not exhaustive unless otherwise specifically indicated. In most cases, listing each example and each combination will be prohibitive. Thus, a smaller, illustrative list and example is used, with emphasis on understanding the claim terms and not limiting the scope of these terms.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. For clarity, various singular/plural permutations are not explicitly set forth herein.

Although one or more users may be illustrated and/or described herein as a single illustrated graph, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more users may represent one or more human users, robotic users (e.g., computing entities), and/or substantially any combination thereof (e.g., users may be assisted by one or more robotic agents), unless the context dictates otherwise. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, as such terms are used herein, so can be said to be "sender" and/or other entity-oriented terms unless the context dictates otherwise.

In some cases, one or more components may be referred to herein as "configured", "configurable", "operable/operative", "adapted/adaptable", "capable", "consistent/compliant", and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these terms (e.g., "configured to") generally include active state components and/or inactive state components and/or standby state components unless the context requires otherwise.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally identify similar or identical components or items, unless the context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein.

In the field of traffic/commute, and in particular in the field of urban settings, one of the latest trends is to develop traffic network services provided by network-based companies such as Uber and cyft, which allow users to reserve drivers/vehicles for transportation, for example, through mobile applications. Such ride-sharing services are becoming increasingly popular, and have led to the dawning of members of this new area early on. As with many new technology enterprises, the functionality provided by such services is somewhat limited. However, there appears to be a great deal of opportunity to add new and value-added functionality to these services (and more traditional traffic services such as taxi services) in order to provide a more powerful traffic network system.

According to various embodiments, systems and methods are provided that are designed to, among other things, receive a request to transport one or more end users toward a destination location; providing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transportation route leg requiring at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transportation route leg; and directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous with the one or more end users for transporting the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In some implementations, the request that can be received can be a request that specifically requests a travel plan to travel to a destination location. However, in some other embodiments, the request that may be received may be a request to specifically request transportation for at least a portion of an entire journey to the destination location.

In various embodiments, in addition to being designed to provide or generate a travel plan for one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the systems and methods may be designed to determine when and where at least one transport vehicle unit will rendezvous with the one or more end users to transport the one or more end users through at least one leg of the travel plan (herein a "route leg") and to direct the at least one transport vehicle unit (e.g., a passenger vehicle with a robot or human driver) to rendezvous with one or more end users accordingly to transport the one or more end users on at least one route leg of the travel plan. For purposes of the following description, a "travel plan" may refer to a plan or blueprint for one or more end users to reach a destination location from a starting location (which may be the current location of the one or more end users in some cases).

In various embodiments, the travel plan may identify two or more route branches, including one or more modes of transportation (e.g., transportation vehicle units, walking, bicycling, ferries, public transportation, etc.) for traveling on the two or more route branches. In some cases, the travel plan may identify a convergence location and/or convergence time at which one or more end-users converge with at least one transport vehicle unit for transport over at least a portion of at least one route leg of the travel plan. In some cases, the travel plan may provide a planned travel route (e.g., a detailed travel plan identifying particular streets, roads, transportation routes, turns, travel distances, etc.) for travel of at least a portion of the overall travel route (e.g., route legs) between the starting location and the destination location. Note that in various embodiments, the planned travel route is not limited to a planned route through a city street/highway, but may also relate to a planned route over a channel, walking/bike route, or the like.

As briefly described above, in some embodiments, the travel plan may identify at least a rendezvous location and/or a rendezvous time at which one or more end users rendezvous with at least one transport vehicle unit to be transported on at least a portion of at least one route leg of the travel plan. In some cases, the location of one or more end users relative to the rendezvous location and the location of at least one transport vehicle unit may be monitored before the at least one transport vehicle unit and the one or more end users reach the rendezvous location. Such monitoring may be done, for example, to guide the "best" transport vehicle unit to the convergence location (e.g., in some cases, it may be desirable to dispatch the transport vehicle unit closest to the convergence location just prior to the convergence time), or to determine whether the original travel plan should be modified (e.g., when one or more end users or at least one transport vehicle unit does not appear to be in the convergence location at the convergence time according to the travel plan). That is, in some cases, it may be preferable not to select/guide a transport vehicle unit to a convergence location to converge with one or more end-users until the one or more end-users are detected as being relatively close to the convergence location. However, in other cases, the transport vehicle units may be pre-assigned or directed to rendezvous with one or more end users before the one or more end users approach the rendezvous location.

In some implementations, the travel plan may require (e.g., plan or schedule) a plurality of transport vehicle units to transport one or more end users on different route legs of the travel plan. Note that for purposes of this description, a route leg of a travel plan that requires a transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users over at least a portion of the route leg may be referred to herein as a "transport route leg. Also for the purposes of the following description, a "transport vehicle unit" may include at least a transport vehicle and a human or robotic driver. For purposes of this description, a transportation vehicle may refer to a passenger car (e.g., a gas or electric vehicle) that is not assigned a set route like a subway bus or commuter train. In some cases, the transport vehicle unit may further include a transport computing device (a special purpose computing device or a general purpose mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer running one or more special purpose applications) to receive, among other things, instructions/instructions for transporting the one or more end users in combination with the one or more end users according to the travel plan.

Turning now to fig. 1, fig. 1 illustrates a travel planning network system 10 operating in an exemplary environment 100. In various embodiments, the various operations and functions described herein may be implemented by the travel planning network system 10. Travel planning network system 10 may be a network system such as a server or workstation, or a plurality of network devices (e.g., "clouds") such as servers, workstations, storage, and the like. Note that, "×" indicates a wild card for the purposes of the following description. Thus, references to, for example, "travel planning network system 10 x" in the following description may refer to travel planning network system 10' of fig. 2A and travel planning network system 10 "of fig. 2B, which are two different implementations of travel planning network system 10 x of fig. 1.

As further shown in fig. 1, travel planning network system 10 may communicate with one or more end user devices 14, one or more transport vehicle units 20 (e.g., transport vehicle unit 20a and transport vehicle unit 20 b), and/or one or more third party systems 18 via one or more wireless and/or wired networks 16. The one or more wireless and/or wired networks 16 may include, for example, one or more Local Area Networks (LANs), metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), personal Area Networks (PANs), worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), public switched telephone network (PTSN), general Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks, cellular networks, client/server networks, virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and the like.

In various embodiments, end user device 14 may be associated with one or more end users 12. The end-user device 14 may be a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone or tablet) or a personal computer (e.g., a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc.). Although not shown in fig. 1, in various embodiments, travel planning network system 10 may communicate with transport vehicle units 20 (which may include transport vehicles and robotic or human drivers) via transport computing devices (e.g., special purpose computing devices or general purpose mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablet computers) associated with transport vehicle units 20 (or with drivers of transport vehicle units 20).

In various embodiments, travel planning network system 10 may communicate with one or more third party systems 18 in order to obtain certain information (e.g., weather, traffic conditions, ferry or subway schedules, train schedules) and/or make certain reservations (e.g., ferry or train reservations) from the one or more third party systems. Such information may help facilitate travel planning network system 10 to provide or generate travel plans to destination locations. That is, in various embodiments, travel planning network system 10 may be designed to provide (or generate) a travel plan to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be provided or generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transportation route leg that requires (e.g., plans) at least one transportation vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transportation route leg.

In some cases, the provision or generation of the travel plan may be in response to the travel plan network system 10, the travel plan network system 10 receiving a request from the end user device 14 to ship one or more end users 12 to the destination location. In some cases, such a received request may be a request specifically requesting a travel plan for traveling to the destination location, while in other cases such a request may be at least a portion of an entire journey specifically requesting transportation to the destination location. In some embodiments, at least a portion or portions of the provided travel plan may be transmitted to the end user device 14 and/or the transport vehicle unit 20 (e.g., to the transport computing device) to at least inform the one or more end users 12 and the transport vehicle unit 20 about the rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time at which the one or more end users 12 rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 over at least a portion of the transport route leg of the provided travel plan.

Based at least in part on the provided travel plan, the travel plan network system 10 may direct or guide the transport vehicle units 20 to a convergence location to converge with one or more end users 12 to transport the one or more end users 12 over at least a portion of the provided travel plan transportation route legs. In some cases, travel planning network system 10 may direct or steer transport vehicle units 20 to a convergence location by transmitting an indication or instruction to transport vehicle units 20 (via a transport computing device such as a smart phone or a dedicated computing device) that instructs transport vehicle units 20 to arrive at the convergence location immediately before a specified time or a specified period.

In some embodiments, the indication or instruction that may be transmitted may simply indicate the address of the rendezvous location and/or the rendezvous time (e.g., the planned passenger pickup time). In some embodiments, the indication or instruction that may be transmitted to the transport vehicle unit 20 may be in the form of a request that the transport vehicle unit 20 meet one or more end users 12. Such a request may provide certain information related to one or more end users 12, including identification information of at least one of the one or more end users 12 and/or ratings of at least one of the one or more end users 12 provided by a driver who previously transported the at least one of the one or more end users 12.

Referring now to fig. 2A and 2B, two block diagrams representing two different implementations of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 1 are shown. In particular, and as will be further described herein, fig. 2A shows a travel planning network system 10', which travel planning network system 10' is a "hard-wired" or "hard" implementation of the travel planning network system 10 that may implement the operations and processes described herein. The travel plan network system 10 'includes certain logic modules including a request receiving module 202', a travel plan generating module 204', and a transport vehicle unit directing module 206' implemented using pure hardware or circuit components, such as an application specific integrated circuit (or ASIC). In contrast, fig. 2B illustrates travel plan network system 10 "as a" soft "implementation of travel plan network system 10' of fig. 2A, with certain logic modules in travel plan network system 10" including request receiving module 202", travel plan generating module 204", and transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 implemented using programmable electronic circuitry (e.g., one or more processors 230 including one or more microprocessors, controllers, etc.) executing one or more programming instructions (e.g., software).

The implementation of the travel plan network system 10 shown in fig. 2A and 2B (e.g., the travel plan network system 10 'of fig. 2A and the travel plan network system 10 "of fig. 2B) is a two-terminal implementation of the travel plan network system 10, wherein all logic modules (e.g., the request receiving module 202', the travel plan generating module 204', and the transport vehicle unit guiding module 206') are implemented using a pure hardware solution (e.g., a circuit such as an ASIC) as shown in fig. 2A, or wherein all logic modules (e.g., the request receiving module 202", the travel plan generating module 204", and the transport vehicle unit guiding module 206") are implemented using a software solution (e.g., programmable instructions executed by programmable circuits such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or one or more processors) as shown in fig. 2B. Since there are many ways to combine hardware, software, and/or firmware to implement the various logic modules (e.g., request receiving module 202, travel plan generating module 204, and transport vehicle unit guidance module 206), only two extreme implementations (e.g., a pure hardware solution as shown in fig. 2A and a software solution of fig. 2B) are shown herein. It should be noted here that with respect to the "soft" implementation shown in fig. 2B, hardware in the form of programmable circuitry, such as one or more processors 230 (or FPGAs), is still required to execute the software. Further details regarding two embodiments of the travel planning network system 10 shown in fig. 2A and 2B will be provided in more detail below.

In some cases, one or more components may be referred to herein as "configured", "configurable", "operable/operative", "adapted/adaptable", "capable", "consistent/conforming", "designed" and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize that such terms (e.g., "configured to") generally include active state components and/or inactive state components and/or standby state components unless the context requires otherwise.

Referring now specifically to fig. 2A, which illustrates the travel plan network system 10 'in addition to the request receiving module 202', the travel plan generation module 204 'and the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206' may also include one or more processors 230 (e.g., microprocessors, controllers, etc.), network interfaces 240 (network interface cards or NICs), and/or memory 220. In various implementations, memory 220 may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. In some implementations, memory 220 may include one or more of a mass storage device, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a cache memory such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a Synchronous Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), and/or other types of memory devices. In some implementations, the memory 220 may be used to store various programming instructions (e.g., software) and data including previously provided travel plans, ferries and/or public transportation schedules, end user preferences including vehicle and/or driver preferences, driver preferences including geographic preferences, and so forth.

Turning now to fig. 2B, a travel plan network system 10 "is shown in which certain logic modules (request receiving module 202", travel plan generating module 204", and transport vehicle unit guidance module 206") are implemented using one or more processors 230. In addition, the travel planning network system 10″ may also include a memory 220 and a network interface 240 similar to the travel planning network system 10' of FIG. 2A.

In various embodiments, request receiving module 202 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., request receiving module 202' of fig. 2A or request receiving module 202 "of fig. 2B) may be configured to, among other things, receive a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location. In contrast, the travel plan generation module 204 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., the travel plan generation module 204' of fig. 2A or the travel plan generation module 204 "of fig. 2B) may be configured to, among other things, generate or provide a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated or provided identifying at least two route legs including at least one transportation route leg requiring at least one transportation vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transportation route leg. Meanwhile, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., transport vehicle unit guidance module 206' of fig. 2A or transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 "of fig. 2B) may be configured to, among other things, guide or direct at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to a convergence location to meet one or more end users 12 for transporting the one or more end users 12 on a transport route leg.

Referring now to fig. 3A, a particular implementation of the request receiving module 202 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., request receiving module 202' or request receiving module 202 ") is shown. As shown, in various alternative implementations, the request receiving module 202 may include one or more sub-logic modules. For example, in various embodiments, request receiving module 202 may also include an end user preference data receiving module 302. Specific details regarding the request receiving module 202 and the above-described sub-modules of the request receiving module 202 are provided below with respect to the operations and processes that will be described herein.

Fig. 3B illustrates a particular implementation of the travel plan generation module 204 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., travel plan generation module 204' or travel plan generation module 204 "). As shown, the travel plan generation module 204 may include one or more sub-logic modules in various alternative implementations. For example, in various embodiments, the travel plan generation module 204 may also include the travel plan creation module 304, the travel plan creation module 304 may further include the distance minimization travel plan creation module 306, the travel time minimization travel plan creation module 308, the travel cost minimization travel plan creation module 310, the multi-factor travel plan creation module 312, the public transportation/ferry preference compliance travel plan creation module 314, the walking/cycling preference compliance travel plan creation module 316, the geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318, and/or the meeting location determination module 318 (which may further include the meeting time estimation module 322), the travel plan transfer module 324 (which may also include the meeting data transfer module 326 and/or the planned travel route data transfer module 328), the modified travel plan transfer module 330, and/or the alternative option transfer module 332. Specific details regarding the travel plan generation module 204 "and the above-described sub-modules of the travel plan generation module 204 are provided below with reference to the operations and processes that will be described herein.

Turning now to fig. 3C, a particular implementation of the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., transport vehicle unit guidance module 206' or transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 ") is shown. As shown, in various alternative implementations, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 may include one or more sub-logic modules. For example, in various embodiments, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 may further include an instruction transmission module 340 (which may further include a traffic information transmission module 342), a request transmission module 344, a confirmation receipt module 346, an end user detection module 348, and/or a transport vehicle unit detection module 350. Specific details regarding the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 "and the above-described sub-modules of the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 are provided below with reference to the operations and processes that will be described herein.

Referring now to fig. 4A, there is shown the types of data that may be included in an exemplary travel plan 400a that may be provided/generated by the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B. The example travel plan 400a may be a plan that facilitates one or more end users 12 traveling from a starting location (e.g., "washington, bambriqi Elm street 213 (213 Elm St., bainbridge Island, WA)") to a destination location (e.g., "washington, belleville You Lu 1425 (belleville Way, belleville, WA)") the travel plan 400a having a plurality of route branches including at least one route branch ("transport route branch") in fig. 4A-route branch 3 that requires transport vehicle units 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on at least a portion of the transport route branch (e.g., "route branch 3" of fig. 4A). As shown, the example travel plan 400a may identify a starting location (which may or may not be the current location of one of the one or more end users 12, such as provided by the GPS of the end user device 14), a destination location, and in some cases a preferred arrival time (e.g., the most recent time that the one or more end users 12 may wish to reach the destination location-typically most people prefer to arrive early rather than late).

The travel plan 400a may also indicate a planned starting time (e.g., "8:05 a.m. in fig. 4A) for starting the planned travel from the starting location to reach the destination location before the preferred arrival time. Note that included at the bottom of travel plan 400a of fig. 4A is an estimated time of arrival at the destination location (e.g., "10:25 a.m.) with one or more end users 12 following travel plan 400 a. As further shown, the travel plan 400a may identify different route branches (e.g., route branch 1, route branch 2, and route branch 3) that the travel plan 400a may include. The transportation mode (e.g., walking, ferry, and transportation vehicle unit) of each identified route leg may also be identified by the travel plan 400 a. Note that route leg 3 in fig. 4A is a "transport route leg" in that it requires a transport vehicle unit 20 for transporting one or more end users 12 over at least a portion of the route leg (e.g., route leg 3).

As shown in fig. 4A, the exemplary travel plan 400a further identifies, for each route leg, a route leg start point (or "route leg access point" for route leg 3), a route leg end point, travel time for the respective leg, and an expected arrival time at the route leg end point. Note that the example travel plan 400a includes other information related to various route branches. For example, a ferry (e.g., "8:40 ferry") is identified, as well as vehicle and driver information related to the transport vehicle unit 20 required by the route branch 3. Note that various titles (e.g., "route leg 1", "pattern:", etc.) and subtitles (e.g., "route leg start", "route leg end:", etc.) shown in fig. 4A are not necessarily in actual travel plans. That is, these headings and subheadings are provided in the travel plan 400a of fig. 4A (and the travel plans 400B, 400F, and 400G of fig. 4B, 4F, and 4G) merely to facilitate the reader's understanding of the types of information that may be included in the travel plan 400 x (e.g., the travel plans 400a, 400B, 400F, and 400G of fig. 4A, 4B, 4F, or 4G). Thus, the actual plan of travel to the destination location may not look like the exemplary travel plan 400a of fig. 4A (nor similar to the travel plans 400B, 400F, and 400G of fig. 4B, 4F, and 4G). Instead, only the exemplary travel plan 400a of fig. 4A (and the travel plans 400B, 400F, and 400G of fig. 4B, 4F, and 4G) are shown herein to illustrate the types of information that may be included in the travel plan 400.

As will be further explained, in some cases, a plan to travel to a destination location (e.g., travel plan 400a of fig. 4A) may provide specific detailed route information indicating route information, e.g., turn-by-turn (turn-by-turn) and street-by-street (street-by-street), for at least partially traveling to the destination location. Referring now to fig. 4B, another exemplary travel plan 400B is shown with specific route information for traveling at least partially (e.g., route legs) to a destination location. The exemplary travel plan 400b is similar to the travel plan 400a of fig. 4A, except that for route leg 1, the travel plan 400b includes specific planned route information in the form of a planned travel route 420b, the planned travel route 420b providing street-by-street-route and turn-by-turn route information for traveling from the "route leg start" of route leg 1 to the "route leg end" of route leg 1. Note that the planned travel route 420B of route leg 1 of fig. 4B is in text form. However, in other implementations, the planned travel route 420 identifying the detailed route of at least a portion of the route branches may be in graphical form (see, e.g., planned travel routes 420C, 420D, and 420E of fig. 4C, 4D, and 4E).

Referring now to fig. 4C, 4D and 4E, a planned travel route 420 in the form of a graph for each route leg (e.g., route leg 1, route leg 2 and route leg 3) of the travel plan 400B of fig. 4B is shown, and the planned travel route 420 may be included in the travel plan 400B. These planned travel routes 420 may be used to determine whether one or more end users 12 are traveling as planned and according to travel plan 400b (e.g., whether one or more end users 12 will be able to reach a rendezvous location to rendezvous with transport vehicle units 20 on time and according to travel plan 400 b). Turning now specifically to fig. 4C, a planned travel route 420C for route leg 1 of travel plan 400B of fig. 4B is shown. The planned travel route 420c is in some sense only a graphical version of the planned travel route 420B of fig. 4B. In addition, other information may be provided with the planned travel route 420c including a route leg start point 424c, a route leg end point 426c, intermediate locations 421c along the planned travel route 420c, and preferably intermediate arrival times 422c (e.g., a predetermined or planned time to arrive at an intermediate location in order to arrive at a route leg end point and transition to the next leg (e.g., a time-to-time ferry) along each intermediate location 421c of the planned travel route 420c.

Referring now to fig. 4D, there is shown a planned travel route 420D (in graphical form) for route leg 2 of travel plan 400B of fig. 4B. The planned travel route 420d is effectively the ferry route of the 8:40 ferry required for route leg 2 of travel plan 400B of fig. 4B. The planned travel route 420d may also provide other information including a route leg start point 424d, a route leg end point 426d, intermediate locations 421d along the planned travel route 420d, and a preferred intermediate arrival time 422d for each intermediate location 421 d.

Turning now to fig. 4E, a planned travel route 420E (in graphical form) of route leg 3 (e.g., "haul route leg" which requires the haul vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12) of the travel plan 400B of fig. 4B is shown. The planned travel route 420e is a planned route for the transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 to a route leg destination 426e (which is also the final destination location of the transport plan 400 b). The planned travel route 420e may also provide other information including a route leg start point 424e, a route leg end point 426e, intermediate locations 421e along the planned travel route 420e, and a preferred intermediate arrival time 422e for each intermediate location 421 e.

The intermediate location 421 of each planned travel route 420 of fig. 4C, 4D, and 4E and its associated preferred intermediate arrival time 422 may be particularly useful in conjunction with location information of one or more end users 12. That is, one or more monitored locations of one or more end users 12 (via GPS of end user device 14) may be compared to intermediate locations 421 of planned travel route 420 and associated preferred intermediate arrival times 422 as one or more end users 12 are traveling to a destination location to determine whether one or more end users 12 are moving on time along planned travel route 420. And if it is determined that one or more end users 12 have deviated from the planned travel route 420 (because one or more end users 12 arrive late at intermediate location 421), then an adjustment may be made to travel plan 400b (e.g., change the rendezvous location or rendezvous time of transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with one or more end users 12 of route leg 3).

Additionally, as one or more end users 12 are traveling to a destination location, one or more locations of one or more end users 12 (via the GPS of end user device 14) may be monitored and compared to planned travel route 420 in order to determine when to direct transport vehicle units 20 to a convergence location to converge with one or more end users 12. That is, in some embodiments, it may be preferable not to contact the transport vehicle unit 20 to direct the transport vehicle unit 20 to the convergence location unless one or more end users 12 are in the vicinity of the convergence location (e.g., one or more end users 12 are 15 minutes from the convergence location).

Referring now to fig. 4F, another exemplary travel plan 400F is shown, which travel plan 400F may be provided for a return trip of a journey made when the travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B is executed by one or more end users 12. Note that because this is for a return trip, the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1) is a transportation route leg that requires transportation vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 from a starting location (e.g., "belleville, washington You Lu 1425") to a route leg destination (e.g., ferry terminal entrance at alaska road 1233 (1233 Alaskan Way)). Route leg 1 of travel plan 400f is planned such that the predetermined transportation vehicle units 20 invoked by route leg 1 will meet one or more end users 12 at the appropriate time and on-time transport one or more end users 12 so that they will on-time catch up with the 5:00 pm ferry to the airliner island, which is the second route leg (e.g., "route leg 2") of travel plan 400 f.

Fig. 4G shows yet another exemplary travel plan 400G. In this example, travel plan 400g requires two different transport vehicle units 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on two different route legs (e.g., route leg 1 and route leg 2). Note that included in travel plan 400g is certain information with the transport vehicle units scheduled to meet one or more end users 12, including vehicle model number, license plate number, driver information, and driver license number. Also indicated by the travel plan 400g are a predetermined pickup time and an expected or estimated arrival time at the route leg end (or estimated arrival time at the destination location).

Hereinafter, various operations associated with the above-described travel plan network system 10 (e.g., the travel plan network system 10' of fig. 2A or the travel plan network system 10″ of fig. 2B) will be described according to various alternative embodiments. For example, fig. 5 illustrates an operational flow 500 representative of operations of an exemplary computing implementation that may be implemented to provide, among other things, a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from a starting location to the destination location, which may be in response to a received request to transport one or more end users to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs, and directing at least one transport vehicle unit to meet the one or more end users to transport the one or more end users on at least one of the at least two route legs of the travel plan.

In fig. 5, and in the following figures, which include various examples of operational flows, discussion and illustration will be provided for travel planning network system 10 as described above and as shown in fig. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 3C, and/or for other examples (e.g., as provided in fig. 1, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G) and contexts. However, it should be appreciated that the operational flow may be performed in a number of other environments and contexts and/or in modified versions of fig. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and/or 4G. Further, while various operational flows are presented in the illustrated order, it should be appreciated that various operations may be performed in other than the illustrated order, or may be performed concurrently.

Further, in fig. 5 and the following drawings, various operations may be depicted in the form of a box-in-box (box-witin-a-box). Such depictions may indicate that the operations in the inner boxes may include alternative example embodiments of the operational steps shown in one or more of the outer boxes. However, it should be understood that internal block operations may be considered as separate operations from any associated external block, and may be performed in any order relative to all other illustrated operations, or may be performed concurrently. Further, unless otherwise indicated, these operations shown in fig. 5, as well as other operations described herein, are performed by at least one of a machine, article, or composition of matter.

For ease of understanding, the flowcharts are organized such that an initial flowchart presents an implementation via an example implementation, and thereafter the following flowcharts present alternative implementations and/or extensions of the initial flowchart as subcomponent operations or additional component operations built on one or more earlier presented flowcharts. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the presentation style used herein (e.g., beginning with the presentation of a flowchart presenting an example implementation, and providing additional and/or further details in subsequent flowcharts thereafter) generally allows for a quick and easy understanding of various process implementations. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the presentation styles used herein are themselves suitable for use in modular and/or object-oriented programming paradigms.

In any event, after initiating the operation, the operational flow 500 of FIG. 5 may move to a request receiving operation 502 to receive a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location. For example, and as an illustration, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., request receiving module 202' of fig. 2A or request receiving module 202 "of fig. 2B) receives a request that one or more end users 12 be transported at least partially toward a destination location. In various embodiments, the request that may be received may be a request specifically requesting a travel plan for traveling to the destination location. However, in some other embodiments, the request that may be received may be a request to specifically request transportation of at least a portion of the entire journey to the destination location.

The operational flow 500 may also include providing a travel plan of operation 504, the operation 504 for providing the travel plan to facilitate travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transportation route leg requiring at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transportation route leg. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., the travel plan generation module 204' of fig. 2A or the travel plan generation module 204 of fig. 2B) provides or generates a travel plan 400 for facilitating travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan 400 identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg (e.g., the route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) that requires (e.g., requires use or planning of) at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg (e.g., the route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B). In various implementations, the travel plan 400 that may be provided may be developed or created, or alternatively may be a previously generated travel plan 400 that may be stored, for example, in memory 220 (e.g., when end user 12 requests transportation from a starting location, such as a previously planned to a destination location on a previous trip, to the destination location).

As further shown in fig. 5, the operational flow 500 may also include a transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506, the operation 506 for guiding at least one transport vehicle unit to meet one or more end users at a meeting location for transporting the one or more end users on a transport route leg. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 of fig. 2A or 2B (e.g., transport vehicle unit guidance module 206' of fig. 2A or transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 "of fig. 2B) directs or guides at least one transport vehicle unit 20 (e.g., by transmitting an indication or instruction to at least one transport vehicle unit 20) to meet one or more end users 12 at a meeting location (e.g., a location where one or more end users 12 meet transport vehicle unit 20) in order to transport one or more end users 12 on a transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B).

As described below, in various alternative implementations, the request receipt operation 502, the travel plan provision operation 504, and the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may be performed in a variety of different manners. For example, fig. 6A, 6B, and 6C illustrate at least some alternatives in which the request receiving operation 502 of fig. 5 may be performed in various alternative implementations. In some cases, for example, the request receiving operation 502 may include an operation 602 to receive a request from an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users to transport the one or more end users to the destination location, as shown in fig. 6A. For example, the request receiving module 202 of the travel planning network system 10 (e.g., the travel planning network system 10' of fig. 2A or the travel planning network system 10″ of fig. 2B) receives a request from an end user device 14 (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, etc.) associated with (e.g., used by) at least one of the one or more end users 12 to transport the one or more end users 12 toward the destination location.

In various implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may include an operation 603 for receiving a request from one or more wireless and/or wired networks for transporting one or more end users to a destination location. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives requests from one or more wireless and/or wireline networks 16 (e.g., cellular data networks) to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location.

In the same or alternative implementations, request receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include or involve operation 604 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location by receiving a request to identify the destination location. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location by receiving a request to identify the destination location (e.g., an address or name of a landmark). In some cases, request receiving module 202 may control network interface 240 to receive the request.

In some cases, operation 604 may also include or involve operation 605, operation 605 for receiving a request to identify a destination location by receiving a request to identify a preferred arrival time at the destination location. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives a request to identify a destination location by receiving a request to identify a preferred arrival time at the destination location (as preferred and indicated by at least one of one or more end users 12 via end user device 14).

In the same or alternative implementations, request receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include or involve operation 606 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location by receiving a request indicating a starting location for starting a journey to the destination location. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location by receiving a request indicating a starting location (e.g., which may be an address or GPS data) for starting a journey to the destination location.

In the same or alternative implementations, request receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include or involve operation 607 for receiving a request for transmitting the one or more end users to the destination location by receiving a request indicating a number of end users 12 to route to the destination location. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives a request to transmit the one or more end users to the destination location by receiving a request indicating a number of end users 12 to route to the destination location.

In the same or alternative implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include or involve an operation 608 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, including receiving location data indicating a current location of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, request receiving module 202 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location, including receiving location data (e.g., global positioning system or GPS data) indicating a current location of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., the end user location at the closest time of receipt of the request).

Referring now to fig. 6B, in various implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may include an operation 609 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, including receiving end user preference data indicating one or more transport vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the request receiving module 202, which includes the end user preference data receiving module 302 (see fig. 3A) of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, receives a request to transmit one or more end users 12 to a destination location, including receiving, by the end user preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data indicating one or more transport vehicle unit preferences (e.g., preferences for a particular type of vehicle) of at least one of the one or more end users 12. In some cases, the end user preference data may have been received earlier than the request was received. However, in other cases, such data may be received at the same time or after the request is received.

As further shown in fig. 6B, in various implementations, operation 609 may further include one or more additional operations, in some cases, the one or more additional operations including operation 610 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more transport vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end users by receiving the end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of the at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicative of the one or more transport vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 by receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users (e.g., preference drivers are non-smokers or do not use perfume/cologne).

In some implementations, operation 610 may further include an operation 611, operation 611 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to a human driver's preference rating. For example, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 related to a human driver's preference rating (e.g., the end user preferences have human drivers from other end users above a certain rating level).

In the same or different implementations, operation 610 may additionally or alternatively include operation 612 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to driver gender, driver interest, and/or driver attribution. For example, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 regarding a driver gender, driver interest (e.g., new york jet), and/or driver affiliation (e.g., religious affiliation or school affiliation).

In the same or different implementations, operation 610 may additionally or alternatively include operation 613 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to preferences of the driver specifically pre-approved by at least one of the one or more end users. For example, end user preference data receiving module 302 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicative of one or more driver preferences of at least one of one or more end users 12 related to a driver specifically pre-approved by at least one of one or more end users 12. For example, end user preference data is received indicating that the driver of the selected transportation vehicle unit 20 (selected for transportation of one or more end users 12) is a driver from at least one previously approved list of pre-approved drivers of one or more end users 12.

In some implementations, operation 609 may include an operation 614 for receiving end user preference data indicating one or more transport vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end users by receiving end user preference data indicating one or more vehicle preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicating one or more transport vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more terminals by receiving end user preference data indicating one or more vehicle preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., preferences for a minibus with additional leg space).

In various implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may include an operation 615, the operation 615 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to the destination location, including receiving end user preference data indicating one or more public transportation or ferry preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the request receiving module 202, including the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, receives a request to ship one or more end users 12 to a destination location, including receiving, by the end user preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data indicating one or more public transportation or ferry preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., if waiting for a city bus for more than 15 minutes, the preference is not to use the city bus for transportation, preference is only for certain ferries for water transportation, etc.).

Turning to fig. 6C, in the same or alternative implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 616 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to the destination location, including receiving end user preference data indicating one or more walking or cycling preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the request receiving module 202, including the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, receives a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location, including receiving, by the end user preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data indicating one or more walking or cycling preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., a leg preference of more than one-quarter mile during any leg of the journey is not walking).

In the same or alternative implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 617 for receiving a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location, including receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, request receiving module 202, including end user preference data receiving module 302 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, receives a request to transport one or more end users 12 to a destination location, including receiving, by end user preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data indicating one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., end user 12 prefers to avoid routes requiring end user 12 to travel on water or through certain neighbors via, for example, a ferry).

As further shown in fig. 6C, in various implementations, operation 617 may include one or more additional operations, in some cases, including operation 618 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to one or more geographic locations or areas through which at least one of the one or more end users is preferably routed. For example, end user preference data receiving module 302 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicative of one or more geographic preferences of at least one of one or more end users 12 related to one or more geographic locations or areas through which at least one of one or more end users 12 is preferably routed. For example, end user 12 may indicate via end user device 14 (which may send such an indication to travel planning network system 10) certain roads or areas through which end user 12 is preferably routed (e.g., via transport vehicle unit 20 or by other means of transport) at certain times of the day.

In the same or alternative embodiments, operation 617 may additionally or alternatively comprise operation 619 for receiving end user preference data indicative of one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to one or more geographic locations or areas through which at least one of the one or more end users is preferably not routed. For example, end user preference data receiving module 302 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicating a geographic location or region of at least one of one or more end users 12 through which at least one of the one or more end users is preferably not routed. For example, end user 12 may indicate to end user device 14 (which may send such an indication to travel planning network system 10) that end user 12 prefers to be routed through certain roads or areas.

In the same or alternative embodiments, operation 617 may additionally or alternatively include operation 620 for receiving end user preference data indicating one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to a geographic location or region where at least one of the one or more end users prefers to be used to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit. For example, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicating one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 related to one or more geographic locations or areas of at least one of the one or more end users 12 that are preferred for rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20. That is, in some cases, for various reasons (e.g., safety, disability friendly), end user 12 may prefer certain locations for convergence with transport vehicle unit 20.

In the same or alternative implementations, operation 617 may additionally or alternatively include operation 621 for receiving end user preference data indicating one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users related to a geographic location or region where at least one of the one or more end users is preferably not used to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit. For example, end user preference data receiving module 302 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives end user preference data indicating one or more geographic preferences of at least one of one or more end users 12 that are related to one or more geographic locations or areas where at least one of one or more end users 12 is preferably not used to rendezvous with one or more transport vehicle units 20.

Referring back to the travel plan providing operation 504 of fig. 5, the travel plan providing operation 504, which is similar to the request receiving operation 502 of fig. 5, may be performed in a variety of different ways in various alternative embodiments, such as shown in fig. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F, 7G, 7H, and 7I, for example. In some cases, for example, the travel plan providing operation 504 may actually include an operation 721 for providing a travel plan to facilitate travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, as shown in fig. 7A, at least partially in response to the received request. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the provision of the travel plan 400 being at least partially responsive to a received request, e.g., received by the request receipt module 202 of the travel plan network system 10.

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 722 for providing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan being designed such that the one or more end users arrive at the destination location at or before the preferred arrival time as the one or more end users follow the travel plan. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 such that one or more end users 12 travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan 400 being designed to cause one or more end users 12 to arrive at the destination location at or before a preferred arrival time (e.g., a preferred arrival time as indicated by at least one of the one or more end users 12 through, for example, the end user device 14) when the one or more end users 12 follow the travel plan 400.

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 723 for providing a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan identifying a starting time for initiating the travel plan to reach the destination location before a preferred arrival time. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan identifying a start time (e.g., a start time to start travel according to the travel plan 400) for initiating the travel plan 400 to reach the destination location prior to a preferred arrival time (as indicated by at least one of the one or more end users 12 through, for example, the end user device 14).

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 724 for providing a travel plan identifying a planned travel route for at least partially traveling between the starting location and the destination location to facilitate travel of one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan 400 identifying a planned travel route 420 for at least partial travel between the starting location and the destination location (e.g., for travel in a route leg of the travel plan) (e.g., for travel through a particular geographic area).

In some cases, operation 724 may further include an operation 725 for providing a travel plan identifying a planned travel route, the travel plan further identifying one or more preferred intermediate arrival times associated with each of the one or more intermediate locations along the planned travel route, respectively; the travel plan is designed to facilitate one or more end users arriving at the destination location at approximately one or more preferred intermediate arrival times if the one or more end users arrive at the one or more intermediate locations at approximately the preferred intermediate arrival times. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan 400 identifying a planned travel route 420, the travel plan 400 further identifying one or more preferred intermediate arrival times 422 (see, e.g., fig. 4C, 4D, or 4E) associated with each of the one or more intermediate locations 421 (see, e.g., fig. 4C, 4D, or 4E) along the planned travel route 420, respectively; travel plan 400 is designed to facilitate one or more end users 12 reaching a destination location near (e.g., before) the optimal arrival time if one or more end users 12 reach one or more intermediate locations 421 near one or more preferred intermediate arrival times 422.

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 726 for providing a travel plan that identifies one or more ferries and/or one or more mass transit vehicles for traveling along at least a portion of the route leg to facilitate travel of one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location toward a destination location, the travel plan 400 identifying one or more ferries (e.g., a ferry name or departure time) and/or one or more mass transit vehicles (e.g., a bus number or bus route name, which is a way that subway buses are often identified) for travel on at least a portion of a route leg.

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 727, the operation 727 for providing a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan being at least partially in graphical form. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) the travel plan 400 such that one or more end users 12 travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan 400 to be provided being at least in part in graphical form (e.g., digital maps as shown in fig. 4C, 4D, and 4E).

Turning to fig. 7B, in various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 728 for providing a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan being at least partially in text form. For example, travel plan generation module 204 of travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, travel plan 400 being at least in partial text form (e.g., as shown for route leg 1 and turn by turn indication in fig. 4B, for example).

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 729, the operation 729 for providing a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan being at least partially in digital form. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan 400 being at least partially in digital form (e.g., computer device readable digital data).

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 730 for providing a travel plan, the operation 730 providing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg by providing a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit in order for the one or more end users to be transported on the transport route leg. For example, travel plan generation module 204 of travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides travel plan 400 identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on a transport route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) by providing (e.g., generating) a rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time that identifies one or more end users rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20 in order to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg.

As further shown in fig. 7B, in some implementations, operation 730 may further include operation 731 for providing a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location where one or more end users rendezvous with a transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous location being the same as or proximate to the starting location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan 400F (see fig. 4F) identifying a rendezvous location (see route leg access point of route leg 1 of fig. 4F) for one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 on a transport route leg (e.g., transport route leg 1 of fig. 4F), the rendezvous location being the same as or close to (e.g., within 1/4 mile of) a starting location (e.g., fig. 4F identifies a passenger access point of route leg 1 as bellevil You Lu 1425 number, the same as the starting location of the travel plan 400F). In other words, in this implementation, the transportation route leg (e.g., the route leg required for transporting the transportation vehicle unit 20 of one or more end users 12 over at least a portion of the route leg) is a first sequential route leg of the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400 f) that requires multiple route legs.

In some implementations, operation 730 may include operation 732 for providing a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location at which one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit for transporting the one or more end users over the transportation route leg, the rendezvous location being an intermediate location between the starting location and the destination location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B) identifying a rendezvous location (e.g., the "ferry terminal exit at alaska road 1233" identified as the pick-up location of the route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) to rendezvous one or more end users 12 with the transport vehicle unit 20 in order to transport the one or more end users 12 on a transport route leg (e.g., the route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) between a start location (e.g., the route leg start 424C of fig. 4C or the "bezodiac No. 213" indicated as the start location in fig. 4A or 4B) and a destination location (e.g., the route end 426E of fig. 4A or the destination location "bezodiac No. 213B in fig. 4A or 4B) such as the intermediate position" bezodiac No. You Lu E in fig. 4A or 4B, for example.

As further shown in fig. 7B, in some cases, operation 732 may further include operation 733, operation 733 for providing a rendezvous location identifying an intermediate location between the starting location and the destination location and a rendezvous time for one or more end users to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit at the rendezvous location to transport the travel plan of the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous time being a planned point in time or range of time for the one or more end users to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit at the rendezvous location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides or generates travel plans (e.g., travel plans 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B) identifying a junction location (e.g., the ferry terminal exit identified as route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) and a junction time (e.g., the "junction time: 9:55" for route leg 3 as shown in fig. 4A and 4B) at which one or more end users 12 meet the transport vehicle unit 20 at the junction location (e.g., the "pick-up time" of fig. 4A or 4B) such that one or more end users 12 are transported on a transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) at a junction location that is the "base station B" of fig. 4A or 4B at a start location shown in fig. 4A or 4B and a junction time (e.g., the "base station B) at a base station of fig. 4B at a junction location such as shown in fig. 4A or 4B) and a junction location (e.g., the junction location of fig. 4B at a base station B) such as shown in fig. 4B at a start location shown in fig. 4B at a or 4B at a junction time such as shown in fig. 4B at a 3B and a base station B for example at a base station B and a 5 d 5B.

Referring now to fig. 7C, in various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 734 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan further indicating one or more expected times for completing one or more of the at least two route legs. For example, travel plan generation module 204 of travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) travel plan 400 identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg, travel plan 400 further indicating one or more expected times (e.g., the expected times may be the amount of time required to complete each route leg and/or the time to complete each route leg) to complete one or more of the at least two route legs (see, e.g., the "expected arrival times" for the various route legs shown in fig. 4A, 4B, 4F, and 4G).

In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 735 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan identifying one or more transport modes for each of the at least two route legs. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides (e.g., generates) a travel plan 400 identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg, the travel plan 400 identifying one or more transport modes (e.g., walking, transport vehicle unit 20, ferry, public transportation (e.g., subway buses and commuter trains), etc.) for each of the at least two route legs.

In the same or alternative embodiments, the travel plan providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include an operation 736 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including at least one transportation route branch requiring at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transportation route branch and a first route branch not requiring any transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch, the at least one transportation route branch being a second route branch. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides or generates travel plans (e.g., travel plans 400a, 400B, or 400F of fig. 4A, 4B, or 4F) identifying two route legs including at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B or route leg 1 of fig. 4F) and a first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of fig. 4A or 4B or route leg 2 of fig. 4F) that does not require any transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of fig. 4A or 4B or route leg 2 of fig. 4F or any portion of the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of fig. 4A or 2 of fig. 4B or route leg 3 of fig. 4F) that requires use and/or plan of at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or route leg 1 of fig. 4F) on the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B or route leg 1 of fig. 4F).

As further shown in fig. 7C, in some implementations, operation 736 may actually include or involve an operation 737 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch that does not require any transport vehicle units to transport the one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch and a second route branch that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the second route branch, the first route branch requiring one or more end users to travel on the first route branch by walking, riding a bicycle, by public transportation, and/or a ferry. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan (e.g., travel plans 400a, 400B, or 400F of fig. 4A, 4B, or 4F) identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) and a second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route branch 1 of fig. 4F) that does not require any transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) and that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route branch 1 of fig. 4F) on the first route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route branch 1 of fig. 4F) through a transit wheel (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 2F) through the first route branch 12 of fig. 4A or 2B or 3 of fig. 4B, or through the transit wheel or 3.

In some implementations, operation 736 may actually include or involve an operation 738 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch that does not require any transport vehicle units to transport one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch and a second route branch that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the second route branch, the first route branch preceding the second route branch along the entire travel route from the starting location to the destination location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B) that identifies at least two route branches including a first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) that does not require any transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on any portion of the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) and a second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B), the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) traveling along the entire route from a starting location to a destination location prior to some location of the second route (e.g., route branch 1 or 3 of fig. 4A or 4B).

In some implementations, operation 736 may actually include or involve an operation 739 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch that does not require any transport vehicle units to transport one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch and a second route branch that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the second route branch, the first route branch following the second route branch along the entire travel route from the starting location to the destination location. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400F) identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) and a second route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4F), the first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) not requiring any transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on any portion of the first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) and the second route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4F) requiring at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the second route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4F), the first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 or 3 of fig. 4F) following the second route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4F) along the entire travel route from a starting location to a destination location.

Turning now to fig. 7D, in various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 740 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including at least one transport route branch that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route branch and a first route branch that requires another transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the first route branch, the at least one transport route branch being a second route branch. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides or generates a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400G of fig. 4G) identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4G) and a first route leg (e.g., leg route 1 of fig. 4G), the at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4G) requiring (e.g., requiring use or planning of) at least one transport vehicle unit 20a to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4G), the first route leg (e.g., leg route 1 of fig. 4G) requiring another transport vehicle unit 20B to transport one or more end users 12 on the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of fig. 4G), the at least one transport route (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4G) being a second route leg.

In some cases, operation 740 may also include an operation 741 for providing a travel plan that identifies at least two route branches including a first route branch that requires another transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the first route branch and a second route branch that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the second route branch, the first route branch preceding the second route branch along a planned travel route provided by the travel plan. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B provides a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400G of fig. 4G) identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G) that requires another transport vehicle unit 20B to transport one or more end users 12 on the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G) and a second route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4G) that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20a to transport one or more end users 12 on the second route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4G) following the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G) along the planned travel route provided by the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400G).

In various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 742 for providing a travel plan by developing a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the developed travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transportation route leg requiring at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transportation route leg. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 includes the travel plan creation module 304 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan generation module 204 provides or generates the travel plan 400 by causing the travel plan creation module 304 to develop or create a travel plan 400 for facilitating travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the developed travel plan 400 identifying at least two route branches including at least one transportation route branch (e.g., the route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, the route branch 1 of fig. 4F, or the route branch 1 or 2 of fig. 4G) that requires at least one transportation vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transportation route branch.

In some cases, operation 742 may further comprise an operation 743, operation 743 for developing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location by developing a travel plan that minimizes a total travel distance that the one or more end users must travel from the starting location to the destination location. For example, travel plan creation module 304 includes distance minimization travel plan creation module 306 (see fig. 3B) of travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and travel plan creation module 304 develops travel plan 400 by minimizing distance minimization travel plan creation module 306 to develop or create a travel plan 400 that minimizes the total travel distance that one or more end users 12 must travel to reach a destination location from a starting location to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from the starting location to the destination location. Note that short-range algorithms, such as Dijkstra's algorism, are well known and are often used in order to find the shortest path/route between two points. In some cases, these short-range algorithms may be applied not only to car routes, but also to walking routes, ferry routes, etc. to find the shortest overall route.

In some implementations, operation 742 may include an operation 744 for developing a travel plan to facilitate travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location by developing a travel plan that minimizes a total travel time required for the one or more end users to reach the destination location from the starting location. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a travel time minimization travel plan creation module 308 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan creation module 304 develops the travel plan 400 by causing the travel time minimization travel plan creation module 308 to develop or generate a travel plan 400 that minimizes the total travel time required for one or more end users 12 to travel from a starting location to a destination location in order for one or more end users 12 to reach the destination location from the starting location. In some cases, development of travel plans 400 that minimize total travel time may be accomplished by generating alternate travel routes from a starting location to a destination location (which may employ different transportation modes) and selecting travel routes from the alternate travel routes that require the shortest time to complete based on vehicle speed limits, mass transit or ferry speeds, distance of particular road segments, traffic conditions along certain galleries, and the like. Alternatively, modified versions of short-range algorithms that take into account speed limits, ferry speeds, predicted completion times for various route legs based on traffic conditions, etc. may be employed in order to develop or generate a travel plan 400 that minimizes the total travel time required to reach a destination location from a starting location.

In some implementations, operation 742 may include operation 745, operation 745 for developing a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location by developing a travel plan that minimizes a total travel cost for the one or more end users to occur from the starting location to the destination location. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a travel cost minimization travel plan creation module 310 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan creation module 304 formulates the travel plan 400 by causing the travel cost minimization travel plan creation module 310 to develop or create a travel plan 400 of minimizing a total travel cost to be incurred for one or more end users 12 to travel from a starting location to a destination location in order for the one or more end users 12 to reach the destination location from the starting location. In some cases, development of a travel plan 400 that minimizes total travel costs may be achieved by determining the costs of different alternative route legs (e.g., using different transportation modes with different planned travel routes for each route leg) and by selecting a combination of travel routes that will result in the lowest total travel cost.

In some implementations, operation 742 may include an operation 746 for developing a travel plan (as shown in fig. 7E) for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location by developing a travel plan developed based on a number of factors, including minimizing a total travel time required for the one or more end users to reach the destination location from the starting location, and minimizing a total travel cost incurred by the one or more end users to reach the destination location from the starting location. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes the multi-factor travel plan creation module 312 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan creation module 304 develops the travel plan 400 by causing the multi-factor travel plan creation module 312 to develop or create a travel plan 400 developed based on a plurality of factors, including minimizing a total travel time required for the one or more end users 12 to reach the destination location from the starting location and minimizing a total travel cost incurred for the one or more end users to reach the destination location from the starting location, so that the one or more end users 12 reach the destination location from the starting location.

In some implementations, operation 742 may include operation 747, operation 747 for developing a travel plan that identifies at least two route legs including at least one haul route leg that requires at least one haul vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the haul route leg by developing a travel plan that meets one or more public transportation or ferry preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a mass transit/ferry preference conforming travel plan creation module 314 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan creation module 304 develops a travel plan 400 that identifies two route legs including at least one transportation route leg that requires the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transportation route leg by conforming the mass transit/ferry preference to the travel plan creation module 314 to develop or create a travel plan 400 that conforms to one or more mass transit or ferry preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., prefers to use certain ferries that depart at certain times, prefers not to use certain ferry or subway bus routes, etc.).

In some implementations, operation 742 may be an operation 748, operation 748 for developing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including at least one haul route branch requiring at least one haul vehicle unit to transport one or more end users at the haul route branch by developing one or more travel plans that conform to one or more walking or cycling preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a walking/cycling preference compliance travel plan creation module 316 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, the travel plan creation module 304 developing a travel plan 400 identifying two route branches including at least one transport route branch requiring the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route branch by conforming the walking/cycling preference to the travel plan creation module 316 to develop or create one or more walking or cycling preferences (e.g., more than one quarter mile for any route branch, the end user 12 prefers not to walk) that are compliant with at least one of the one or more end users 12.

Turning now to fig. 7F, in various implementations, operation 742 is for providing a travel plan by developing a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the developed travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, operation 742 may include operation 749, operation 749 for developing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg by developing a travel plan that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, the travel plan creation module 304 being configured to develop a travel plan 400 identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg by conforming the geographic preference to the travel plan creation module 318 to develop or create a travel plan 400 that conforms to at least one of the one or more end users 12 (e.g., one or more end users 12 prefers to be or are not routed through a particular geographic location/area).

As further shown in fig. 7F, in various implementations, operation 749 may include one or more additional operations, in some cases, including operation 750, for developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users by developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to one or more geographic locations or areas that at least one of the one or more end users is preferably routed through. For example, the geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan 400 that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 by developing or creating one or more geographic preferences that are related to one or more geographic locations or areas (e.g., preferences may be related to particular streets, highways, city neighborhoods, etc.) of the at least one of the one or more end users t12 through which the at least one of the one or more end users is preferably routed.

In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may additionally or alternatively include operation 751 for developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users by developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas where at least one of the one or more end users is preferably not routed through. For example, the geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan 400 that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400 that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 related to one or more geographic locations or areas (e.g., certain neighbors, water-avoidance ferries, etc.) that the at least one of the one or more end users dislike to be routed through.

In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may additionally or alternatively include operation 752 for developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users by developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas where at least one of the one or more end users prefers to meet the transportation vehicle unit. For example, the geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops the travel plan 400 of one or more geographic preferences conforming to at least one of the one or more end users 12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400 of one or more geographic preferences conforming to at least one of the one or more end users 12 that is related to one or more geographic locations or areas where at least one of the one or more end users 12 preferably meets the transportation vehicle unit 20. For example, end user 12 may prefer to be "picked up" in a disabled friendly location (e.g., accommodating a wheelchair).

In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may additionally or alternatively include operation 753, operation 753 for developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users by developing one or more geo-preferred travel plans that conform to at least one of the one or more end users that are related to one or more geographic locations or areas that are preferably not used for convergence with the transportation vehicle unit. For example, the geographic preference compliance travel plan creation module 318 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan 400 that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400 that meets one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 that are related to one or more geographic locations or areas that are preferably not used for convergence with the transportation vehicle unit 20. For example, for security reasons (e.g., end user 12 considers certain locations unsafe), end user 12 may prefer to avoid using certain regions as rendezvous locations.

Referring now to fig. 7G, in some implementations, operation 742 is for providing a travel plan by developing a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the developed travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, operation 742 may actually include operation 754 for formulating the travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including a first route leg immediately preceding a second route leg for at least partial travel between the starting location and the destination location, the second route leg being at least one transport route leg that requires at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the second route leg. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B, or travel plan 400G of fig. 4G) to facilitate travel of one or more end users 12 from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a,400B, or 400C of fig. 4A,4B, or 4C) identifying at least two route legs including at least a first route leg (e.g., leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 of fig. 4G) immediately preceding a second route leg (e.g., leg 2 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route leg 1 of fig. 4G) to at least partially travel between the starting location and the destination location, the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 of fig. 4G) being the at least one transport route leg, the at least one transport leg unit requiring at least one transport leg 20 on the second route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B, or 4G, the end user's route leg 2 of fig. 4G.

In some implementations, operation 754 may include operation 755, operation 755 for developing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch immediately preceding a second route branch for traveling at least partially between a starting location and a destination location, the second route branch being at least one transport route branch requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport one or more end users on the second route branch, and the first route branch not requiring any transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on any portion of the first route branch. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B) identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) immediately preceding a second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) for at least partial travel between a starting location and a destination location, the second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) being at least one end user 12 requiring at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to transport at the second route branch (e.g., route branch 3 of fig. 4A or 4B), and the first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4A or 4B) not requiring any transport vehicle unit 20 to transport at any portion 12 of the first route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4A or 4B).

In some implementations, operation 754 may include operation 756, operation 756 for developing a travel plan identifying at least two route branches including a first route branch immediately preceding a second route branch for traveling at least partially between a starting location and the destination location, the second route branch being the at least one transport route branch requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the second route branch, and the first route branch requiring another transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the first route branch. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B develops a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400G) identifying at least two route branches including at least a first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G) immediately preceding a second route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4G) for at least partially traveling between a starting location and a destination location, the second route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4G) being at least one transport route branch requiring at least one transport vehicle unit 20a to transport one or more end users 12 on the second route branch (e.g., route branch 2 of fig. 4G), and the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G) requiring another transport vehicle unit 20B to transport the one or more end users 12 on the first route branch (e.g., route branch 1 of fig. 4G).

In some implementations, operation 754 may include operation 757, operation 757 for developing a travel plan including determining a rendezvous location at which one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the second route leg. For example, the travel plan creation module 304 includes a junction location determination module 320 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, the travel plan creation module 304 being configured to develop or generate a travel plan 400, including determining or determining, by the junction location determination module 320, junction locations for one or more end users to junction with the transport vehicle units 20 in order to transport the one or more end users 12 on a second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B).

As further shown in fig. 7G, in some implementations, operation 757 may further include operation 758, operation 758 for determining a rendezvous location at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit, including estimating a rendezvous time at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit at the rendezvous location as a result of estimating an amount of time spent by the one or more end users traveling on the first route leg. For example, rendezvous location determination module 320 includes rendezvous time estimation module 322 (see fig. 3B) of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, rendezvous location determination module 320 determining a rendezvous location at which one or more end users 12 rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20, including estimating, by rendezvous time estimation module 322, a rendezvous time for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20 at the rendezvous location as an estimate (e.g., the estimate may be based on a ferry schedule, an estimated travel speed of the end users, traffic conditions, etc.) of an amount of time spent by the one or more end users 12 traveling on a first route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of fig. 4A or 4B). In some cases, the estimation may be based on information (e.g., a ferry schedule, traffic conditions, public transportation or ferry tracking data, etc.) that may be provided by the third party system 18 (see fig. 1).

Turning to fig. 7H, in various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 759, the operation 759 for providing a travel plan to facilitate travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, including conveying at least one or more portions of the travel plan. For example, the travel plan generation module 204 includes a travel plan transmission module 324 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, the travel plan generation module 204 providing a travel plan 400 for one or more end users 12 to travel from a starting location to a destination location, including transmitting by the travel plan transmission module 324 at least one or more portions of the travel plan 400 (e.g., information indicating an end and a starting point of each route leg, information indicating a convergence location for convergence with a transport vehicle unit, information indicating a convergence time for convergence with a transport vehicle unit, etc.). In various embodiments, one or more portions of travel plan 400 may be transmitted via one or more wireless and/or wired networks 16.

As further shown in fig. 7H, in various implementations, operation 759 may further include one or more additional operations, in some cases, including operation 760, the operation 760 for transmitting at least the one or more portions of the travel plan by transmitting the at least the one or more portions of the travel plan directly or indirectly to an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the travel plan delivery module 324 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B delivers at least one or more portions of the travel plan 400 by directly or indirectly delivering the at least one or more portions of the travel plan 400 to an end user device 14 (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer, etc.) associated with at least one of the one or more end users 12.

In the same or alternative implementations, operation 759 may additionally or alternatively include operation 761 for transmitting at least one or more portions of the travel plan by transmitting data identifying at least a rendezvous location at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit. For example, trip plan transmission module 324, including rendezvous data transmission module 326 (see fig. 3B) of trip plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, transmits at least one or more portions of trip plan 400 by causing rendezvous data transmission module 326 to transmit data identifying at least a rendezvous location at which one or more end users 12 rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20.

In some cases, operation 761 may further include operation 762, operation 762 for transmitting data identifying at least a rendezvous location where one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit, including transmitting data identifying a rendezvous time where one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit at the rendezvous location. For example, rendezvous data transfer module 326 of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transfers data identifying at least a rendezvous location at which one or more end users 12 rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20, including transferring data identifying a rendezvous time (e.g., a point in time or a range of time) for one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with transport vehicle unit 20 at the rendezvous location.

In various implementations, operation 759 may include an operation 763, the operation 763 for transmitting at least one or more portions of the travel plan by transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route for traveling over at least a portion of the entire travel route between the starting location and the destination location. For example, the travel plan transmission module 324 includes a planned travel route data transmission module 328 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the travel plan transmission module 324 transmits at least one or more portions of the travel plan 400 by causing the planned travel route data transmission module 328 to transmit data indicative of a planned travel route for traveling over at least a portion (e.g., a route leg) of an entire route (e.g., an entire travel route that may be fully or partially planned) between the starting location and the destination location.

In some cases, operation 763 may further include operation 764, operation 764 for transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route for traveling over at least a portion of the overall travel route between the starting location and the destination location by transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route for traveling to a junction location where the one or more end users meet the at least one transportation vehicle unit. For example, the planned travel route data transfer module 328 (see fig. 3B) of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transfers data indicative of a planned travel route for traveling over at least a portion (e.g., route leg) of an overall travel route between a starting location and a destination location by transferring data indicative of a planned travel route (e.g., planned travel route, ferry route, planned transport vehicle unit route, etc.) for traveling to a rendezvous location for one or more end users 12 and at least one transport vehicle unit 20.

Referring now to fig. 7I, in various implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 765, the operation 765 for transmitting a modified version of the travel plan to an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users in response to detecting that the transport vehicle unit will not be able to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan. For example, the modified travel plan delivery module 330 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B delivers a modified version of the travel plan 400 to the end user device 14 associated with at least one of the one or more end users 12 in response to detecting that the transportation vehicle unit 20 will not be able to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transportation route leg as required by the travel plan 400. That is, in some implementations, the status (e.g., location and/or passenger status) of the transport vehicle units 20 assigned to transport one or more end users 12 may be monitored to determine that the transport vehicle units 20 will be able to fulfill the obligations to transport the one or more end users 12 according to the travel plan 400. If it is determined that the transportation vehicle unit 20 is unable to meet the obligation to transport one or more end users 12 according to the travel plan 400, a modified version of the travel plan may be provided.

In some implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 766, the operation 766 for sending a modified version of the travel plan to an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users in response to detecting that the one or more end users will not be able to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit to be transported on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan. For example, the modified travel plan delivery module 330 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B delivers a modified version of the travel plan 400 to the end user device 14 associated with at least one of the one or more end users 12 in response to detecting that the one or more end users 12 will not be able to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20 to be transported on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan 400. That is, the location of one or more end users 12 may be monitored to determine whether one or more end users 12 are able to meet the transport vehicle units 20 according to travel plan 400. If it is determined that one or more end users 12 cannot meet the transport vehicle unit 20 according to the travel plan 400, a modified version of the originally provided travel plan 400 may be provided.

In some implementations, the travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 767, the operation 767 for transmitting one or more alternative options to an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users to travel on the transport route leg, but not by the at least one transport vehicle unit, when the transport vehicle unit is detected to be unable to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan, or when the one or more end users are detected to be unable to meet the transport vehicle unit to be transported on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan. For example, when the transport vehicle unit 20 (which was originally assigned for transporting one or more end users on a transport route leg) is detected as being unable to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg as required by the travel plan 400, or when it is detected that one or more end users 12 cannot meet the transport vehicle unit 20 in order to be transported on a transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B) as required by the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400B of fig. 4A or 4B), the alternative option transfer module 332 (see fig. 3B) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transfers one or more alternative options (e.g., walking, using public transportation, or waiting for another transport vehicle unit when the originally assigned transport vehicle unit is no longer available) to an end user device 14 associated with at least one of the one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4A or 4B), the alternative option transfer module 332 (see fig. 3B) is not being transported on the transport route leg 4A or 4B (e.g., route leg 3 of fig. 4B).

Referring back to the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 of fig. 5, transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506, which is similar to request receipt operation 502 and travel plan provision operation 504 of fig. 5, may be performed in a number of different ways in various alternative embodiments, such as shown in fig. 8A and 8B. In some cases, for example, transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may actually include an operation 868 for guiding the at least one transport vehicle unit to meet the one or more end users at the meeting location by transmitting one or more instructions indicating that the at least one transport vehicle unit meet the one or more end users at the meeting location in order to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 includes the instruction transmission module 340 (see fig. 3C) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 directs or guides the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to meet one or more end users 12 at the meeting location by causing the instruction transmission module 340 to transmit one or more instructions (e.g., instructions or commands) that instruct the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to meet the one or more end users 12 at the meeting location to transport the one or more end users 12 on the transport route leg. In some cases, the instructions that may be transferred may simply indicate the addressing point for the rendezvous location and/or the rendezvous time.

In some implementations, operation 868 can further include one or more additional operations, in some cases, including operation 869, the operation 869 to transmit one or more instructions indicating that the at least one transport vehicle unit meets one or more end users at a meeting location and at a meeting time. For example, the instruction transmission module 340 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transmits one or more instructions that instruct the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location and at a rendezvous time (e.g., a point in time or a range of time).

In the same or alternative embodiments, operation 868 may additionally or alternatively include operation 870 for transmitting one or more instructions indicating that the at least one transportation vehicle unit meets the one or more end users at the meeting location by sending the one or more instructions to an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end users. For example, the instruction transmitting module 340 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transmits one or more instructions indicating that at least one transport vehicle unit 20 meets one or more end users 12 at a meeting location by transmitting the one or more instructions to an end user device 14 (e.g., a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, laptop, desktop computer, etc.) associated with at least one of the one or more end users 12.

In the same or alternative embodiments, operation 868 may additionally or alternatively include operation 871, operation 871 for transmitting one or more instructions indicating that at least one transport vehicle unit rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, including transmitting information identifying at least a mode of transportation used by the one or more end users to reach the rendezvous location. For example, the instruction transmission module 340 includes a traffic information transmission module 342 (see fig. 4C) of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, the instruction transmission module 340 directing one or more instructions of the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location, including transmitting information identifying at least a transportation mode (e.g., walking, ferry, public transportation, another transport vehicle unit 20, etc.) used by the one or more end users 12 in order to reach the rendezvous location for rendezvous with the at least one transport vehicle unit 20. In some cases, the information to be transmitted may include: information identifying a ferry used by one or more end users 12 to reach a rendezvous location, or information that one or more end users 12 are about to walk to reach a rendezvous location, or information identifying another transport vehicle unit 20 used by one or more end users 12 to reach a rendezvous location.

In some cases, operation 871 may also include operation 872 for transmitting information providing information related to another transportation vehicle unit that is transporting one or more end users to the meeting location. For example, the traffic information transmission module 342 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transmits information that provides information (e.g., GPS data, vehicle numbers, etc.) related to another transportation vehicle unit 20 that is transporting one or more end users 12 to a converged location. For example, if the transport vehicle unit 20a of fig. 1 has been assigned to transport one or more end users 12 for the second route leg of the travel plan 400G (see fig. 4), information (e.g., a vehicle ID including a make and model of the transport vehicle) related to bringing one or more users 12 to a rendezvous location (see fig. 4G, "towns, tacoma, ai Shijie, 2456 (2456 Ash Drive,Tacoma,WA)") to rendezvous with another transport vehicle unit 20b (see fig. 1) of fig. 4G) to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20a is transmitted to rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit 20a for transport on the second route leg.

In various implementations, transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may include an operation 873a for transmitting a request to rendezvous at least one transport vehicle unit with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, and a confirmation receipt operation 873b for receiving a confirmation that the at least one transport vehicle unit is to rendezvous at the rendezvous location with the one or more end users. For example, the request transfer module 344 (see fig. 3C) of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B sends a request to rendezvous at least one transport vehicle unit 20 with one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location, and the acknowledgement receipt module 346 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B receives an acknowledgement that the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 is to rendezvous at the rendezvous location with one or more end users 12. In various implementations, the request may be sent to and the acknowledgement may be received from a transport computing device (e.g., a general purpose computing device such as a smart phone running a dedicated application, or a dedicated device) that may be associated with at least one transport vehicle unit 20 (or a driver of transport vehicle unit 20).

In some cases, operation 873a for transmitting a request to rendezvous at least one transport vehicle unit with one or more end users at a rendezvous location may in fact include or involve operation 874 for transmitting a request to rendezvous at least one transport vehicle unit with the one or more end users at the rendezvous location, including transmitting end user information providing at least one of user identification information or end user ratings of at least one of the one or more end users. For example, request transfer module 344 (see fig. 3C) of travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B transfers a request to rendezvous at least one transport vehicle unit 20 with one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location, including transferring at least one of user identification information (e.g., an image of at least one of one or more end users 12 and/or a name of one or more end users 12) and/or an end user rating that provides at least one of one or more end users 12.

Turning now to fig. 8B, in various implementations, the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may include an operation 875 for guiding at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to detecting that the one or more end users are within a predefined distance from the rendezvous location. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206, including the end user detection module 348 (see fig. 3C) of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, directs or guides (e.g., instructs or directs) at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to the end user detection module 348 detecting that one or more end users 12 are within a predetermined distance (e.g., within 1 mile, within 2 miles, etc.) from the rendezvous location.

In the same or alternative implementations, transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may include operation 876, operation 876 for guiding at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to estimating that the one or more end users will arrive at the rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206, including the end user detection module 348 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, directs or guides at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to the end user detection module 348 estimating that one or more end users 12 will arrive at the rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time (e.g., will arrive at the rendezvous location within 10 minutes).

In some cases, operation 876 may further include an operation 877, operation 877 for directing at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to estimating that the one or more end users will reach the rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time, and at least in part in response to detecting a current location of the at least one transport vehicle unit relative to the rendezvous location. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206, including the end user detection module 348 and the transport vehicle unit detection module 350 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B (see fig. 3C), directs or guides the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, to estimate that the one or more end users 12 will arrive at the rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time at least in part in response to the end user detection module 348, and to detect a current location of the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 relative to the rendezvous location at least in part in response to the transport vehicle unit detection module 350. That is, the farther the transport vehicle unit 20 is from the convergence location, the earlier the transport vehicle unit 20 must be directed to the convergence location such that the transport vehicle unit 20 will have sufficient time to reach the convergence location before the convergence time or convergence time.

In the same or alternative embodiments, transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may include an operation 878, operation 878 for guiding at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to detecting that at least one of the one or more end users has reached a particular location. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206, including the end user detection module 348 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, directs or guides the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to the end user detection module 348 detecting that at least one of the one or more end users 12 has arrived at a particular location (e.g., the end user has arrived at a particular harbor or dock).

As further shown in fig. 8B, in some cases, operation 878 may further include an operation 879 for directing at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with one or more end users at a rendezvous location, at least in part in response to detecting that at least one of the one or more end users has reached a particular location along a planned travel route provided by a travel plan. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 includes the end user detection module 348 of the travel plan network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B, and the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 directs the at least one transport vehicle unit 20 to meet the one or more end users 12 at least partially in response to the end user detection module 348 detecting that at least one of the one or more end users 12 has arrived at a particular location along a planned travel route (e.g., the planned travel route 420C or 420D of fig. 4C or 4D) as provided by the travel plan 400.

In some cases, the transport vehicle unit guidance operation 506 may include an operation 880 for guiding at least one transport vehicle unit to meet one or more end users at a meeting location by further guiding another transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users to the meeting location. For example, the transport vehicle unit guidance module 206 of the travel planning network system 10 of fig. 2A or 2B directs or directs at least one transport vehicle unit (e.g., transport vehicle unit 20a of fig. 1) to meet one or more end users 12 at a meeting location by further directing another transport vehicle unit (e.g., transport vehicle unit 20B of fig. 1) to transport one or more end users 12 to the meeting location. For example, fig. 4G shows a travel plan 400G that requires two different transport vehicle units 20 to transport one or more end users 12 through two consecutive route legs (e.g., route leg 1 and route leg 2).

While particular aspects of the subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the described subject matter and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" is to be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," etc.).

Those skilled in the art will also understand that if an intent is to introduce a specific number of objects in the claim, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation object by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation object to claims containing only one such recitation object, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

Further, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in a convention sense such as "a system having at least one of A, B and C" would include, but not be limited to, a system having only A, a system having only B, a system having only C, a system having both A and B, a system having both A and C, a system having both B and C, and/or a system having both A, B and C, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, both A and B together, both A and C together, both B and C together, and/or both A, B and C together, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that, in general, a selection of words and/or phrases connecting two or more selectable items, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to include the possibility of one, either, or both, unless the context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase "a or B" will generally be understood to include the possibility of "a" or "B" or "a and B".

With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the recited operations therein may generally be performed in any order. Further, while the various operational flows are presented in sequence(s), it should be appreciated that the various operations may be performed in an order different than shown, or may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate ordering may include overlapping, staggered, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant ordering unless the context dictates otherwise. Moreover, terms such as "responsive to," "related to," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless the context dictates otherwise.

The present application may refer to one or more brands, such as words, letters, symbols or means employed by a manufacturer or merchant to identify and/or distinguish his or her products from others' products. The trade names used herein are stated in such language that their identity is clearly distinguished from the generic descriptive noun having a fixed and definite meaning, or in many, if not all, cases, the trade names used herein are accompanied by other specific identification using terms not covered by trade. Further, trade name as used herein has a meaning well known and defined in the literature, or does not refer to a product or compound that requires knowledge of one or more trade secrets in order to understand its meaning. All trademarks cited in this application are the property of their respective owners, and the presence of one or more trademarks in this application does not reduce or otherwise adversely affect the effectiveness of one or more trademarks. All registered or unregistered trademarks appearing in the present application are assumed to contain the correct trademark symbol such as a circle R or a parenthesis (e.g., [ trademark name ]), even when such trademark symbol does not explicitly appear in the vicinity of the trademark. To the extent that a trademark is used in a descriptive manner to refer to a product or process, that trademark should be interpreted to mean that the corresponding product or process was the date of filing of this patent application.

Throughout this disclosure, the terms "in an embodiment," "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in several embodiments," "in at least one embodiment," "in various embodiments," and the like may be used. Each of these terms, as well as all such similar terms, should be construed to be "in at least one embodiment, and possibly but not necessarily all embodiments," unless explicitly stated otherwise. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the purpose of such phrases is to provide a non-exclusive and non-limiting example of an implementation of the application. A mere statement that one, some, or many embodiments include one or more things or have one or more features does not imply that all embodiments include one or more things or have one or more features, nor does it imply that such embodiments must be present. It is merely an indicator of an example and should not be interpreted in other ways unless explicitly stated as such.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific example processes and/or apparatus and/or techniques represent more general processes and/or apparatus and/or techniques taught elsewhere herein, e.g., in the claims filed with the present application and/or elsewhere in the present application.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and

a transport vehicle unit guidance module configured to guide the at least one transport vehicle unit to a convergence location to converge with the one or more end users for transporting the one or more end users on the transport route leg.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan generation module comprising:

A travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan to facilitate travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying a planned travel route for at least partial travel between the starting location and the destination location.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate the travel plan to facilitate travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying a planned travel route for at least partial travel between the starting location and the destination location, the travel plan generation module comprising:

a travel plan generation module configured to generate the travel plan identifying the planned travel route, the travel plan further identifying one or more preferred intermediate arrival times respectively associated with each of one or more intermediate locations along the planned travel route, the planned travel route designed to facilitate the one or more end users to arrive at the destination location at near the one or more preferred intermediate arrival times if the one or more end users arrive at the one or more intermediate locations near the one or more preferred intermediate arrival times.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan generation module comprising:

a travel plan generation module configured to generate the travel plan to facilitate travel of the one or more end users from the starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying one or more ferries and/or one or more mass transit vehicles to travel along at least a portion of a route leg.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate a travel plan for one or more end users to travel from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan generation module comprising:

A travel plan generation module configured to generate the travel plan identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan further identifying a rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit in order to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate a travel plan identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan further identifying a rendezvous location and/or a rendezvous time at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit in order to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan generation module comprising:

A travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous location being the same as or proximate to the starting location.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate the travel plan identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan further identifying a rendezvous location and/or a rendezvous time at which the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit in order to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the travel plan generation module comprising:

a travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location where the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit for transporting the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous location being an intermediate location between the starting location and the destination location.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the travel plan generation module is configured to generate a travel plan identifying a rendezvous location where the one or more end users rendezvous with the transport vehicle unit for transporting the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous location being an intermediate location between the starting location and the destination location, the travel plan generation module comprising:

a travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan identifying the rendezvous location being an intermediate location between the starting location and the destination location and a rendezvous time at which the one or more end users and the transport vehicle unit rendezvous at the rendezvous location in order to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg, the rendezvous time being a planned point in time or range of time at which the one or more end users and the transport vehicle unit rendezvous at the rendezvous location.

9. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium carrying:

one or more instructions for generating a travel plan for facilitating travel of one or more end users from a starting location to a destination location, the travel plan to be generated identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and

One or more instructions for directing the at least one transport vehicle unit to a convergence location to converge with the one or more end users for transporting the one or more end users over the transport route leg.

10. A server system, comprising:

a request receiving module configured to receive a request to transport one or more end users to a destination location;

a travel plan generation module configured to generate a travel plan for facilitating travel of the one or more end users from a starting location to the destination location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg requiring at least one transport vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users on the transport route leg;

a transport vehicle unit guidance module configured to guide the at least one transport vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location for transporting the one or more end users on the transport route leg; and

a network interface.